Arrivederci, Bella
by secretoftetra
Summary: Bellatrix Lestrange looked up into the bright morning sky, trying to figure out why she felt so empty inside. oneshot COMPLETE.


Bellatrix Lestrange looked up into the bright morning sky, trying to figure out why she felt so empty inside.

Sure, she had felt a twinge of something new when she had looked at the twitching body of the Potter boy, as he was tortured into silence. But that feeling had vanished as quickly as it had come, for there was no sympathy allowed with Death Eaters.

At least until she had left. That's when it had started up again. When she had looked up into the fresh morning sky, and trying to remember what had happened that night, what had caused the Death Eaters to disperse so quickly, why she was laying on the cold pavement in front of a church.

Flashes of hooded figures running and screaming came before her eyes, and she vaguely remembered the boy escaping, to her master's great displeasure. He had ruined everything, everything but what they were trying to salvage now; the Death Eaters were at least back. Well, most of them.

Part of her doubted whether they could take on the Order even if they tried. And why should they? What was even the point of all this anymore? To purify the race? It was stupid, really.

She wondered why she was suddenly feeling like this, and her mind strayed to the face of the boy, as he screamed in agony. She thought of the other boy, how he was just lying dead on the cold grass, his life ended so suddenly.

She could hear footsteps, coming nearer. It must look odd, she thought, her just laying there on the sidewalk.

"Excuse me miss, are you alright?"

She looked up into the face of Lucius Malfoy.

"Holy-"

He jumped backwards, and she got up quickly.

"I, uh.", she said, looking quickly around, and brushing off her robes.

"Bella, what the hell are you doing here?", he asked staring at her wide-eyed.

"Just...I'm just, um, well...I don't know.", she muttered, looking at the sidewalk.

Lucius stared at her.

"Did you sleep here? The whole night?"

She avoided his eyes.

"I c-can't remember."

"Bella...", he took her arm and led her down the street. "In front of a church? Really. I thought you, at least, had more dignity than that."

She said nothing.

"The Dark Lord is angry.", he said suddenly "With all of us, actually."

"Why?", she asked, something like annoyance in her voice.

He looked over at her.

"Well, I guess he blames us for last night. For the boy's...escape.", he said bitterly.

"How was that our fault?"

"Bella...,"he whispered, now stopping to look her in the eye, "it's never his fault. So it had to be ours."

"Really?", she said sarcastically.

"What the hell has gotten into you?"

She glared at him.

"Nothing."

Bellatrix turned and pulled him forcefully down the street.

"Bella, stop."

She turned and looked into his pale, cold eyes, traced with a slight compassion or concern.

"Stop what, Malfoy?", she said, the last word slipping out of her mouth like a poison.

He looked hurt.

"Malfoy?", he said in an injured voice.

Bellatrix glared at him.

"Yeah."

He ripped his arm away from her, and stood gazing at her, with no trace of care or compassion in his cold eyes. She wondered if she had imagined it in the first place.

"You're a bitch."

Lucius pulled a cigarrette from a silver box in his pocket. He lit it and leaned against a bicycle rack.

"So?"

He watched her, his eyes narrowed, the cigarette held limply in his hand.

"So, you need to watch your back. You talk like that to him and who knows what the hell could happen to you."

"Concerned for me, Lucius, darling?", she drawled.

He rolled his eyes.

"Well, if you're killed, Narcissa will never be the same...", he said in a voice that tried and failed to seem like he didn't care.

Bellatrix looked at him with interest.

"'Cissy? How is she is these days?"

Lucius took a long drag from his cigarette, his face becoming quite dark.

"Let's just say she's not singing Peaches and Cream to the Dark Lord's return.", he said darkly, looking up at the sky.

"And why's that?"

He looked back at her.

"Draco." he said simply.

"Draco?" Bellatrix repeated. "But why is that? He's just a boy."

Lucius shook his head.

"Exactly. She's worried the Dark Lord will want to take him in, start him young."

"Oh, but Lucius, you wouldn't let him, would you?", she asked, now visibly concerned.

He shrugged.

"What else could I do? You can't really say 'no thank you', to the Dark Lord.", he said bitterly.

Bellatrix ran her hand through her hair and peered up at the sky.

"Does she know that?"

Lucius looked at her.

"You know of course she doesn't."

She snapped her eyes onto him.

"What does she think you'll do? Ride a white horse and save the day? God, the girl just gets more and more delusional every day."

Lucius let out a harsh laugh, that sounded more like a bark than anything.

"Sometimes I wonder if I married the right sister.", he said thoughtfully, looking over at her.

She closed her eyes for a minute.

"Christ, Lucius, do we have to go down this road again?"

Years ago, at his wedding, Lucius had become extremely drunk, telling a full table of their closest friends and family, including Narcissa, his doubts on whether or not he had married "the right sister." Needless to say, it wasn't the best way to start out their marriage. But they had stayed together, and Bellatrix had to give them at least respect for that. Narcissa was not one to give up on things, and Lucius had never talked about those doubts again.

Lucius took a long puff, and choked on the smoke. Coughing, he stood up and put a hand in his pocket.

"You want?", he asked, offering her the last bit.

She shook her head, and he threw it to the curb, stepping on it to kill the last burning embers.

He cleared his throat.

"So where are you going anyway? What brings you to London?"

Lucius looked at her for a moment.

"Business.", he said simply.

"Our kind of business? Or your alter-ego, minister's back pocket kind of business?"

He smiled slightly.

"Well, both."

He turned and started to walk up the street, Bellatrix followed.

"Will I be seeing you again soon, Lucius?"

"Hmm, what do you mean?", he asked, seeming somewhat preoccupied.

"I..."

"Haven't even left yet, and you're already saying goodbye. Typical, typical.", he chuckled.

"Whats going to happen? Whats next? What do we do now?", she asked suddenly, stopping to turn and look him in the eye.

He watched her for a moment.

"I don't know, Bella.", he said in a low voice. "Just keep your head down and your wand out, and maybe we'll make it to another Christmas."

Lucius took her hands in his.

"I'm late. Watch out for yourself, it's not good for you to be roaming about, sleeping in front of churches. I'll be seeing you soon, that I'm sure of. Take care of yourself."

Lucius kissed her swiftly on her cheek, turned, and then looked back.

"Arrivederci, Bella."

He Apparated, and was gone.

"Goodbye.", she said slowly, to thin air.

As Bellatrix walked up the street, in the cold, desolate air, she wondered where Harry Potter was now; and what would become of him.

* * *

A/N: Review! Thanks for reading. 


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